CIMA DE TRIOMPHE (Galileo [Ire]) is not certain to make the line-up for
Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot, according to
his connections. Moved to Newmarket-based trainer Luca Cumani at the beginning
of the year, last year’s Derby Italiano (Ity-G1) hero ran sixth in the April 26
Prix Ganay (Fr-G1) at Longchamp in his debut for his new stable before bagging
the May 28 Brigadier Gerard S. (Eng-G3) at Sandown, and was a last-out fourth in
the July 4 Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) back at the Esher track.
“We’re not sure what we are going to do yet and we are still debating with
the owner whether he is going to run or not,” Cumani told PA Sport. “The horse
is fine and everything has gone well since the Eclipse, but we just have to make
a decision what we are going to do later in the week. If we do take our chance,
the step up to a mile and a half won’t be a problem as he has always shown that
would be fine for him. One always hopes he can improve as the year progresses,
but obviously he needs to. If he does take his chance at the weekend, the plan
would be for Christophe Lemaire to ride him again.”
Trainer Ralph Beckett, hoping for a change of luck for stable star LOOK HERE
(Hernando [Fr]), sees the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S. as an ideal
opportunity for a change of fortune. The four-year-old distaffer was beaten two
noses when third in the June 5 Coronation Cup (Eng-G1) at Epsom in her seasonal
return, and occupied the same berth in the June 27 Pretty Polly S. (Ire-G1) at
the Curragh last time.
“They went too slow for her at the Curragh and if she’d seen daylight she’d
never have got home,” Beckett explained. “It rained the night before (the Pretty
Polly) and during racing which made the ground sticky, and she just couldn’t
change gear out of it. I think she would be fine over a mile and a quarter if
they went a good gallop, and it isn’t impossible at all that she will drop back
again later in the season. Sometimes you go for a race and feel you are up
against it, and at the Curragh it was one of those days. It was her first time
abroad, it rained, there was no gallop and, in the end, I came away delighted
that she’d managed to finish third.
I think the King George is the right race for her, and I feel that a mile and
a half at an even clip round Ascot will see her in a good light. Obviously, the
formbook tells us we can’t beat CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani), but it’s a horse race
and stranger things happen. We’re going there hopeful.”
Having commenced the irrigation process on Monday, Ascot’s course officials
are confident the current good-to-firm going will be maintained for the start of
the three-day King George meet on Friday.
“We have had no significant rain for several days now,” clerk of the course
Chris Stickells said. “We started watering on Monday because we had gone firm in
a few places. We put 10 millimeters on the straight course and the old mile
course, and this was completed mid-afternoon (Tuesday). The forecast is for a
dry day on Wednesday, then showers on Thursday and Friday, although they are not
going to be heavy. The ground is good-to-firm now, and I expect to be starting
the meeting on something similar on Friday.”